Moments of Transition
by LeaveMeLonely
Summary: Five glimpses at Team Seven through the eyes of others.


1.

Hinata loves watching Naruto fight. She actually just loves watching Naruto. He's so strong and brave. And he'll never give up, that's what she likes the best. Maybe it's when he refused to give up on helping Sasuke that she really noticed what the other two were like.

Sakura is really strong too, even though the boys tend to protect her. But it's not so much physical. It's like she's the one who holds up the group emotionally. Even though she's in just as much pain as the other two. Sasuke is actually much weaker than he appears, he's been through a lot, and now it's almost like he needs his two teammates. He would certainly call it weakness, though it actually does make him stronger.

Even though Hinata knows what the other two are like, she knows she'll always like Naruto the best. But she's happy and grateful now that she knows his team.

It takes her a little while before she realizes she admires _all_ of team seven.

* * *

2.

Lee values strength. He also values kindness.

He's not sure why he likes Sakura, maybe because she's pretty and she's kind. That would make sense. He's not sure what he thinks of Naruto. He's pretty sure that Sasuke had it easy all his life, but that's avoiding the question, because the truth is he's not sure what he thinks of Sasuke either.

He's seen team seven a lot differently now though. Sasuke's struggled through a lot of stuff. He's striving to become stronger, and Lee is wondering why. Maybe he's had it had it harder than Lee thought. Sometimes he wonders he should give Sasuke another chance.

He doesn't know if he wants to find out why Sakura loves him so much. Sometimes he does, but suddenly he'll get a cold feeling in his head and stop wanting it.

Over all though, now he understands Sasuke much better, and that actually helps him understand Naruto and Sakura better.

He still thinks Sasuke was born with all his strength.

* * *

3.

Ino thinks of each member of team seven in a different way, fool, forehead, and beauty.

Naruto, the fool, is silly, stupid, and annoying. Ino doesn't understand how Sasuke and Sakura can stand being around him. Sakura, the forehead, isn't pretty, isn't smart, and isn't talented. Not like Ino anyway. She's stubborn and rough. Sasuke, the beauty, is pretty, smart, calm, cool and collected. He's the only one Ino can stand anymore.

This is team seven through the eyes of Ino; this was their normal to her.

Then she saw them in the forest of death, and in a second they looked like something different entirely.

Sasuke looked in pain and scary, (Sasuke in _pain_!) Naruto looked serious, and Sakura looked beautiful. She was actually _stunned_ at them.

Then suddenly Sasuke is calm and the Sound ninja are gone and Naruto is awake babbling something about Sakura's hair and they're regular old team seven again.

* * *

4.

Iruka plays favorites. He doesn't mean to, he knows that he should value each of his students equally, but he does. He thinks Naruto is the best in team seven. Sasuke is too powerful already and Sakura is too girly and needs to see something beside Sasuke.

Naruto works the most to be what he is, and he's had it hardest. After all, people have shunned him and he's never known parents and it was his own _father_ who sealed the fox inside of him.

He figures that Naruto deserves happiness the most. Everyone hates him because of the fox. But Naruto's a good kid, deep down. He wished everyone else could see that.

Iruka doesn't like the way Sasuke and Sakura treat Naruto even more. They just drag him along like he's some useless baggage.

He obviously hasn't seen teem seven recently. Sometimes Naruto's the only one holding them up.

* * *

5.

Kakashi hates his team. He hates them because they're going to follow their dreams to the end.

That would be good in any other team with any other students, but not in his team. Because their dreams are going to get them all killed.

Sakura's dream is never going to come true, but she'll still follow Sasuke to wherever he goes and get herself killed. Sasuke's dream is going to cause him to do all sorts of idiotic things and get Sakura killed, although Sakura's gotten so strong she can't imagine him taking her down without Sakura bringing him down with her.

Naruto's dream is probably the only one that isn't a death wish. But he'll go after his two teammates, to the end. So he shares their fate anyhow.

They are all going to die.

But at least they'll die together. They'll die _for_ each other.

Even if Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto don't know it yet.

* * *

6.

Naruto looks at his two teammates as they prepare for their next mission, Sakura strapping a shuriken to her back and Sasuke showing her how she's _supposed_ to throw a punch. It's all very casual and normal, like they normally act before a mission. But there's something different here, more feeling. Naruto shrugs it off; it's just a normal low class mission.

And even though Sasuke is an arrogant asshole and Sakura is _totally_ in love with the wrong guy, he feels slightly happy here. Like it's where he belongs. Maybe Sasuke is a little nicer today and Sakura is a little saner than she was yesterday. He doesn't know. He might not even care.

Naruto is lost in thought when Sasuke, standing now, him and Sakura facing the way they need to go, calls, "Hey, aren't you coming idiot?"

Naruto says nothing, he just runs to join his two friends as they march into the rising sun.


End file.
